Robot snake 'Uncle Sam' now climbs trees (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Uncle Sam, Carnegie Mellon's latest robotic snake, has been taught to climb trees. The snake is the newest version of "modsnake" created by the Biorobotics Laboratory at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

The snake’s movements are biomimetic, mimicking movements of real snakes including side-winding, wiggling and rolling. Now the snake robot can also wrap itself around a tree trunk and climb vertically up the outside of the tree. An earlier version has previously been demonstrated climbing vertically inside pipes. The many internal degrees of freedom make the snake robots extremely flexible and maneuverable.

Uncle Sam is built using modular segments containing actuators and sensors, and the head segment is fitted with a camera. Being modular allows the snake robot the potential to be self-assembled in the field, and also simplifies repair of the robot if sections are damaged. The modular nature also means the robot’s length can be adjusted easily as needed.

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Biorobotics lab researchers say much work remains to be done before the snake robot can climb any tree and slither along branches, as Uncle Sam was designed for a specific trunk diameter and a specific tree. Work will also be needed on the power supply for the robot, since at the moment it must be tethered to the power supply.

Possible applications of snake robots include locating survivors in collapsed buildings after earthquakes or other natural disasters. They could also be used for inspecting bridges, mines, and any spaces too tight for humans, and for disarming bombs. Previous versions of Carnegie Mellon’s modsnakes have already been tested in training exercises for disasters.

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User comments : 8

Yes I'll likely get voted down to oblivion but what the heck? Do the kids today have such a bad image of the US that they felt it necessary to deride one of our countries symbols by naming a snake Uncle Sam? Really?!

I know it must be très chic but it's still sad for some of us to see...

Is calling it Uncle Sam really an insult? I would think the bigger insult would be making one of your national symbols a pork farmer. Uncle Sam really doesn't stand for what America is, he's just a war-time symbol of the government.

This (to me anyway) is sad that the robot builders seemingly went out of their way to use such a potentially controversial name for their snake robot. Something I would have otherwise been interested in learning more had the used an ordinary name.

If you think the name wasn't chosen to get attention and perhaps lots of snickers from the academics then why use that name? Also it's clear physorg also 'got the joke' cause the story written here makes a point to use Uncle Sam and snake in the headline!

Yes it's fun to mock something you detest! However, I though educated people were starting to rise above it. After reading this, I have my doubts.